In Public opinion in the post-Brexit era the centre-right thinktank Legatum reveals that 83% of Britons favour re-nationalising water companies – 77% want to re-nationalise electricity and 76% want to re-nationalize the railroads.

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The accumulated baggage has tarnished National a little – but not much.

On Thursday night’s Colmar Brunton poll it’s at 44 per cent – that’s still doing better than any other government in modern times.

But it’s enough of a drop still to put the wind up the party’s skirts – as one National MP indelicately put it on Thursday after the poll landed.

National no longer feels bullet proof.

It is facing an opponent that has all the qualities that carried National’s former leader John Key through three elections.

New Labour leader Jacinda Ardern has that same easy rapport with voters – self-deprecating wit and ability to think fast on her feet that worked to such devastating effect for Key against a tired-looking Helen Clark on the campaign trail in 2008.

Key’s shock decision to step down in 2016 was supposed to be about stamping a fresh face on the National leadership to counter any mood for change.

English was the ‘fresh but not fresh’ option – a new face at the top without Key’s baggage.

But installing English – even with his gravitas and huge credibility with voters as the safe pair of hands on the economy – carried its own risk that he could look just as tired and out of ideas as Clark did nine years ago.

It’s not so much that people disagree on issues – which isn’t all that surprising since Trump is all over the map on those.

Sixty-five percent of people who disapprove of his performance in office say it’s because of his character – personality and competency – specifically criticizing his bad temperament – arrogance – obnoxiousness – lack of experience – selfishness – racism and sexism – lack of knowledge – wishy-washiness and use of social media.